Release the Kraken: Content marketing with a dash of Monster

At Christmas, my husband bought me a bottle of Kraken dark spiced rum. Since then, it has sat on my shelf unopened, not because I don’t like spiced rum (I really do) but because the bottle itself is just a joy to behold. Look.

If the name wasn’t enough to net a writer like me (cue Laurence Olivier – more recently Liam Neeson – as Zeus demanding that the Kraken be released on the innocent Andromeda), then the design of the bottle is sure to seal my fate.

There’s the handles, and the balance of the dark rum against the light background of the label, and best of all, there’s the image of the Kraken itself.

But even better than this, the company behind Kraken haven’t simply produced a beautifully packaged product. They took that hint of a story (whether your Kraken is the beast from Clash of the Titans or the monster that battled Captain Nemo) and built a website that continues to delight, as well as obviously sell delicious rum.

For instance,

They tell ‘The Horrid Tale’ of the rum’s naming after a possible encounter with the Kraken.

There’s a dramatic and delightfully tongue-in-cheek video offering proof of the existence of the Kraken.

There are cocktail suggestions. I may well try my hand at The Perfect Storm (rum and ginger beer).

You can join their League of Darkness by taking a quiz. In essence, this is their mailing list but who wouldn’t want Kraken emails?

Then, there are the wallpaper downloads such as the one featured at the top of this post.

Oh, and there’s a shop where you can buy more rum, plus all kind of Kraken adorned items such as an umbrella, iPhone case, various t-shirt designs, Kraken bookends and even household wallpaper (I’m still working out which room in my house needs decorating next).

All of this wonderful stuff serves 4 main purposes:

Keeps people coming back to the website by entertaining and providing them with so much more than just rum.

Involves the audience in the ‘story’ of the Kraken, making them feel that they are part of something.

Encourages interaction with their audience who in turn recommend Kraken and advertise it by using the wallpapers, buying the products, and peopling the Kraken social media accounts. Plus, some of them like me might blog about it.

Sells rum.

This is branding and content marketing with imagination, flair and fun. You don’t have to like rum to appreciate how well Kraken have marketed their product and even if you don’t sell rum, or monsters, there’s sure to be a lesson here for any business.

I’ll leave you with one of their videos. Enjoy. I’m heading out to buy some ginger beer.